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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27694175">Crossing Paths</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WobblinPenguins/pseuds/WobblinPenguins'>WobblinPenguins</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Expanded Magic System, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Worldbuilding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:55:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,610</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27694175</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WobblinPenguins/pseuds/WobblinPenguins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin's week was not going well. For some odd reason, he couldn't seem to get the revelations Lucina had told the Shepherds off of his mind.</p><p>Robin's day starts to brighten when those stone slabs trap them in a room. It gets even better when he picks up a parasitic tome and it decides to use him as a conduit to suck in mana. Oh, not to mention it slinging them far, far from home to an apparently mythical continent!</p><p>Luck has never been his boon.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chrom/Soiree | Sully</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Cryptic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sound of footsteps and hoofsteps alike dust the road the Shepherds travel on. The group, somehow almost always in high spirits, jubilantly talk among themselves as they march northward. Laughter and guffaws, teasing, blushing while looking at a cr- uh, <em> certain someone </em>(one particular princess is very bad at hiding her feelings for a “former” bodyguard of hers) are all present. Someone could easily mistake the group as gearing up to return home rather than gearing up for war. </p><p>Surprisingly, the chatter from behind Robin does nothing to soothe his nerves. Normally, the tactician would be pleased, even ecstatic, at all of the social cohesion occurring (trust in one another is monumental for the success of group tactics, after all), but he can’t stop thinking about the latest battle and the many revelations that sprang from it. </p><p>
  <em> Lucina… </em>
</p><p>A few days ago, on their way out of Plegia, a horde of Risen attacked the group. They were able to defeat the creatures with no real issues, only minor cuts here and there (nothing a Heal staff couldn’t fix), but the real trouble was when a Risen assassin was summoned out of nowhere and rushed Chrom on the bridge. Normally, Chrom would be able to turn the thing into dust in the wind by the time it reached him, but in true assassin style, it was aiming for the backstab and Chrom was completely oblivious to it all. Figures. Luckily, the enigmatic swordswoman known then as Marth was able to defend the Exalt by pummelling the Risen into dust for him. She had also shouted “Look out, Father!” </p><p>That raised so many questions to the newly promoted Grandmaster that he could guess having an aneurysm was less painful. Perhaps he had two at the same time…  </p><p>Turns out, she wasn’t throwing around “father” for nothing. “Marth” is actually Chrom’s daughter, who is currently a little baby, from the future where Grima (y’know, the dark dragon god with a human sacrificing cult) was resurrected and proceeded to do his whole mad dragon thing and kill everyone. A rather inappropriately humorous way of putting it, but if Robin were to put it any other way, he might just break down and cry from how terrible it all is. A god? They were to kill a god?!</p><p>And yet, they had no other choice. A future for their children and perhaps even for themselves - that was what they were already fighting for. It was the same against Plegia a little over two years ago and it’s the same against Valm now. Robin has no qualms about bravery, but many, many problems on the reality of killing a god. You know, something so powerful, people sacrifice other people in fear of it? How would you begin to get even, much less the upper hand? Do tactics still work on the most powerful force of evil this world knows? </p><p>“Robin!” </p><p>A sudden shout breaks him out of his downward spiral of thought. His best friend and fellow commander of the Shepherds has a concerned expression plastered on his face.</p><p>“Finally. It took way too many tries to get through your head. I wonder if you have the thicker skull between us,” he says, smirk affixing itself to his face. Robin smiled back lightly before letting his face fall once more. Chrom’s expression returns to concern. “Robin, are you alright?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Robin, most assuredly not alright, mumbles. The dark circles under the white-haired man’s eyes do nothing to ease his friend’s woes. A frown paints itself onto Chrom’s expression. </p><p>“Robin, I think we both can see that you’re not. What ails you?” The question hangs in the air. “It’s Lucina and her story, isn’t it?”</p><p>Chrom earns a groan at that from Robin, pinpointing his friend’s troubles with startling accuracy. Well, maybe not startling, as there’s really been only two things on the tactician’s mind for the past week: invasion logistics and the future princess’ backstory. Invasion logistics might keep any other man’s mind occupied for many months, but someone as gifted as Robin in the arts of planning and strategy needs only a fraction of that time. </p><p>“Chrom, I…” Robin starts, sighing. “It just- argh, what’s the right word - <em> irks </em> me so much. Fills me with dread? I don’t know! It’s… I- ugh…”</p><p>“Peace, Robin. I know. It ‘irks’ me, too,” Chrom says, lightly teasing his friend. He was so carefree for learning a world changing secret only days ago. “It’s hit you the hardest, hasn’t it?”</p><p>Obviously! Does Chrom see any other Shepherds fretting over the possibility of actually killing a dragon god? Robin scoffs a little bit.</p><p>“I think it’s hit me an adequate amount, Chrom. Seriously, a god? A god?!” the man yells, exasperatedly waving his arms. “One strong enough that not even all of humanity can defeat it? I don’t mean to be pessimistic, but-”</p><p>“Then stop being pessimistic,” Chrom interrupts, face neutral. “We’re not marching to Grima right now. We have time to prepare- to train. An entire war’s worth of experience in front of us. Grima will not be upon us today, nor tomorrow, nor even this year. You have much to work with, friend,” he says, a confident, reassuring grin upon his face.</p><p>Robin looks at the blue-haired man. Slowly, his worries start to melt away, eased by the confidence of the other man. Right, facing the thing now would be suicide, but after a war, strengthening the troops they already have and maybe even recruiting more (to be overly optimistic), they could have a fighting chance. </p><p>But a tactician’s worries cannot be dashed with a single smile. </p><p>“Yeah,” Robin simply says, still conflicted.</p><p>“Oh, buck up, you big ninny!” a brazen, red-haired woman says, slapping the man on the back. Quite forcefully. Robin has to catch himself, lest he fall face first onto the dirt road, all the while cursing his assailant out. </p><p>“Hello, Sully,” Chrom says, radiantly smiling at the new arrival. “How are you holding up, dear?”</p><p>“Don’t baby me, Chrom,” Sully says, loudly scoffing. Yep, Sully was her normal self. “You think I’m gonna let something like having two children slow me down?”</p><p>“Nope,” Chrom says, grinning. </p><p>“Damn straight,” Sully says, puffing out her chest in pride. Chrom chuckles at his wife’s bravado before they start conversing among themselves. </p><p>Yes, Exalt Chrom Lowell and Queen-Escort Sully Lowell, the two technical rulers of Ylisse. Emphasis on technical, as Sully stays as far away from any paperwork or court meetings as possible and Chrom begrudgingly forces himself to go to them - not that Robin blames the two. Politics is about as teeth-grinding as an activity can be. Of course, being the Exalt’s so-called “second spouse,” Robin was his right-hand man in both times of war and peace, so Robin knew from first hand experience how bad the Ylissian court could really be. Thankfully for everyone, protecting the Ylissian continent from a horrible invasion is a good enough reason for a leave of absence from state-craft. Will preventing the apocalypse be a reason good enough as well?</p><p>Robin drags his hand across his face. It always comes back to this line of thinking, doesn’t it? He slouches. Another (somehow) unexpected slap on the back from the super strong woman knocks the Grandmaster to the ground. Robin lets out a few curses towards the “fire-haired she-devil” as the two walking beside him laugh at his fall.</p><p>“Please, lighten up, Robin,” Chrom manages to force out between laughs. “I- ha, excuse me. Your thoughts seem heavy, if the way you were slouching earlier was any indication.” Robin shakes his head, gets up, and dusts as much dirt off of his prized coat as possible. </p><p>“Well, after that, I’ll try,” he responds, falling back into step with the others. His mind moves onto lighter things for the minute. </p><p>“Mother, Father,” a gruff yet feminine voice behind the trio says. Chrom and Sully welcome their future-daughter into their midst. Ah, the source of many of his current woes, Crown Princess Lucina Lowell. From the masked swords(wo)man to just Marth to Chrom’s daughter, the woman’s had so many identity reveals that it wouldn’t be surprising for her to just say “Actually, I am a- You’re still in a fever dream you’re dreaming up while passed out in the middle of the desert in Plegia.” She’s a nice kid - rough around the edges and doesn’t really know how to act around her once-dead-now-alive parents or hero figures in the Shepherds, but who could blame her? Time travel is not the kind of magic that seems remotely possible to grasp in a paltry human lifetime. “We are nearing a town with enough inn space for us.”</p><p>“Robin?” Chrom asks. </p><p>“Yes. We should take the chance while we can,” Robin nods. He puts up his hand, signaling for the group to stop. He turns to address his beloved Shepherds. “Shepherds! The sun is almost down, and as such, our march is almost over. But it’s not over yet.”</p><p>A couple of groans, mostly from the less exercise-inclined people like Ricken and Maribelle, resound through the group. Sully almost starts giving them a piece of her mind before Chrom is able to placate her. Robin doesn’t skip a beat, though.</p><p>“Ah, I don’t think you’d be frustrated if you knew why. An inn big enough for us all awaits in the next town, friends.”</p><p>Everyone, even Frederick in a uniquely Frederick way, visibly perks up. Marching days upon end, only to then have to camp outside nowhere near a town or, even more agonizingly, somewhere near a town because the town inn can’t fit the ever expanding group, even when doubling or tripling to a room… A bed is a miracle straight from the heavens after marches like these! Some let out a few cheers - Vaike and Gregor being the two loudest. An inn means access to a tavern, and that means a soldier’s favorite pastime.</p><p>“Once we get into town and get our lodgings, you’re free for the night. We’ll decide what to do next come tomorrow. That being said, watch yourselves - paying for a new anything comes straight out of your pocket. Alright Shepherds, we’re almost there! Let’s finish out strong!”</p><p>Multiple cheers ring out after Robin’s last encouragement. The group sets out on a slightly quicker pace than before to get to the town before nightfall. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Robin slumped into a seat at the bar. Everything was sorted, as far as rooms and such go, but his job wasn’t done. It was time for an art any tactician worth their salt would know.</p><p>“Hey, what can I getcha?” a somewhat young bartender says, drumming his fingers on the countertop. </p><p>“I’ll take an ale,” Robin says.</p><p>“Alrighty! Comin’ right up.” He reaches for a tankard and moves to pour some beer from a barrel behind him. “You here alone, lookin’ for companionship? I’m sure you could find a nice lady friend for the night - wait, no, your buddies over there are creating a racket, huh?”</p><p>“Bingo,” Robin half-lies. They can get a little rowdy, sure, but that isn’t why he decided to drink alone.</p><p>“Ah hah. The quiet-loving drunk type, I take it?” the man responds, setting the ale in front of Robin. No, the not-getting drunk type. Alcohol has a myriad of problems associated with it that the tactician would rather not deal with. Well, not unless it was a celebration or special occasion, but he’d be cursing his own name for being stupid enough to get drunk when he’d wake up the morning after. He simply nods to the bartender.</p><p>“Yeah, can’t really get much peace and quiet with those guys ‘round, y’know?” Robin says, taking a swig of the ale. It tastes like piss going down - he would much rather have something a lot stronger if anything at all, but that’s saved for celebrations. Robin keeps a straight face and even manages a contented sigh, too. “Can’t imagine you get much either, huh?”</p><p>“Nope, not really. Being on the route to Port Ferox, I’d be able to count the days this place was empty in a year on my hands. Can’t say I hate it though - really pays the bills,” the bartender says, leaning on the counter. The tavern is astoundingly large. It must function as a meeting hall for the town, too. Not surprising, considering the culture of Regna Ferox.</p><p>“I bet. Say, you overhear any interesting stories?” Robin asks. The brush is ready.</p><p>“What’s it to you?” he responds flippantly. </p><p>“Say, are you an uncle?” Robin asks back.</p><p>“I am… how could you guess?” the bartender responds, a little off kilter from the strange assumption. The brush is now in motion.</p><p>“A special sense we uncles have. Well, I’m not technically an uncle, per se, but he - the kids’ father - and I are closer than most brothers are, and I’m often relegated to babysitting duty when I’m home,” Robin says. It’s the truth, and that’s some of the art in it. “Well, the tykes may not be not be able to understand it all quite yet, but I really want to be a great uncle. What better than to wow them with stories from my time as a traveller, eh?”</p><p>“Hahaha, you sound like quite the uncle! My sister just had a daughter - so precious, the thing. Don’t think I’m quite ready for responsibility like that, but she might have a cousin after I meet the right gal - ah! Stories, from one uncle to another. What strikes your fancy today, friend?” he says, a genuine smile now on his face. There we go. Free or much, much cheaper information about the surrounding areas. He can even use some escapades as great stories for the little ones, too.</p><p>“Any local legends? Or ruins in the area? They’d love any trinkets I’d be able to take home,” Robin says, resting his head on his chin, thinking about little Lucina and Kjelle back at the castle. </p><p>“Hmm… not too many, but there is-”</p><p>A loud squeal comes from outside. Robin recognizes the voice and extreme gratification bubbles up in him. </p><p>“Gods, is a drunk getting too handsy? I’ll-”</p><p>“No, no, no. Someone I know just got proposed to and someone else owes me twenty gold,” Robin says, shaking his head and chuckling a little bit. Seconds later, a grumbling Chrom walks over and drops the coins into Robin’s awaiting hands. Robin laughs and yells a thanks as the Exalt grumbles away with a slight smile on his face, no doubt off to congratulate his sister. “Anyways, you were saying?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah. There are old ruins a little bit north of town. Called the Ruins of Time or something like that. Allegedly, something related to the divine dragons can be found inside - that’d make your nieces or nephews happy, I’d bet,” the bartender says, smiling broadly. </p><p>“Oh, wow. I’d bet it would indeed,” Robin says, plan already forming in his head. He starts to ask more about the details.</p><p>The Ruins of Time are ruins (duh) of an old temple, predating Ferox by many centuries if legend is correct. With an outside courtyard made up of platforms on a clear but always icy lake, the temple’s inner construction is somewhat of a mystery. There was only one man who ever survived a trip inside of the temple, a famous archeologist who never took anything from any of the ruins he explored. That didn’t stop him from describing the inside, though - glyphs and intricate pieces of artwork lined every wall. The glyphs were the same you could find in any magic tome, but none were in an array, so no new spells could be deciphered off of the walls. The glyphs, with no array to belong to, also could not be translated to human tongue, so the writing on the walls cannot be deciphered - a bane to many archeologists. </p><p>However, there was a note on one of the walls that had been written on in ancient Altean. The Altean had translated to  <em> “Tears of the Holy Dragon Naga are contained within these depths.” </em>  These tears are rumored to be incredibly powerful and could be of incredible religious significance for the Church of Naga. Even with this potentially powerful or amazing artifact, no one has dared to send any supplies or men to such a remote part of Ferox based on the already established risk. </p><p>Robin gives the tale some thought. If the whole tear business was real, it could be an incredible boon, and who better to retrieve an object of extreme cultural significance than a leader of a country who is also the wielder of another holy artifact? That could help the cause - spin it so that “Naga has blessed the Exalt with her very tears” as well as galvanize some of the religious people in Ylisse, Ferox, and Valm. But only one person ever coming back from the ruins... that’s especially cause for concern. But none of the expeditions had the manpower of the Shepherds. But… </p><p>“Well, at least I didn’t bet more gold against it happening tonight,” Chom says, plopping into the seat by Robin. “Have you already spent it all on ale?”</p><p>“How’d it go?” Robin asks.</p><p>“Fantastic - Lon’qu is now slated to be part of the royal family. Lissa couldn’t be more happy,” Chrom says, smiling infectiously. “What have you been doing over here instead of at the table?”</p><p>The bartender had finished telling his tale a bit ago and is now servicing a customer on the other side of the bar. Robin turns to Chrom and details all that he learned about the ruins to the north of the town, as well as some thoughts of his own.</p><p>“Unexplored ruins?” Chrom deliberates. “That sounds like a bit of a no-brainer, Robin. Especially since we have more than enough time. Besides, I’ve always wanted to explore some ruins and grab some treasure.”</p><p>An unamused glare meets a cheeky smile. Chrom laughs.</p><p>“Seriously, Robin. I have no problems with going to the ruins and exploring them. I’ll go tell the others our plans for tomorrow. Now, don’t get too drunk,” he says, smirking, getting up and walking to the Shepherds’ table. Robin shakes his head in good nature before gritting his teeth and downing the rest of the ale. The bartender comes back over and takes his tankard back.</p><p>Commotion from the Shepherds’ table grabs Robin’s attention. He shakes his head before sliding the bartender a thanks and some gold coins, getting up and heading to the rowdy table.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“Gods, is that the last of them?”</p><p>Heavy panting resounds through the ruins. </p><p>“I think so,” Robin says in between breaths. One thing the bartender forgot to mention was the godsdamn Risen population! Groans and clangs echo throughout the ruins as the Shepherds collapse to the floor. Robin hunches over and plops down onto the ground. The rest of the Shepherds were in a similar state. Frederick, the man who could basically take on armies with his horse and a single lance, is being forced to sit down by his wife Sumia lest he collapse while standing up. Lissa and Maribelle have their hands full with cuts and lacerations the Risen were more than happy to provide while Libra finishes patching up an overzealous Vaike. </p><p>“Gr-great Naga above!” Ricken pants, laying on the floor. The circuits on his tome are almost completely destroyed. Robin lets out a sigh before picking himself up again and hobbling over to Ricken. The teen sits up and quickly hands over the tome left in disrepair, and Robin summons a new tome from the convoy and tosses it to him. Ricken nods and promptly falls onto his back, letting the new Elwind tome rest on his heaving chest.</p><p>Robin spent the next two hours checking on vital equipment and making sure everything was in order in case of an ambush. His legs and arms were still melting, but habit pushed him more than just a bit of pain. Okay, maybe a lot of pain. By the time everything was checked, rechecked, and triple checked, Chrom, Lucina, and Sully were up and stretching. Frederick has been up for most of the time, only taking a minute long rest (which was too much for him even then), much to Sumia’s chagrin. The rest of the Shepherds were still on the floor, either knocked out from exhaustion or sitting together and talking.</p><p>Robin let a proud smile grow on his face. Their rest was well earned.</p><p>“Robin,” Lucina calls from behind him. He nods and walks over to the royal family. The Exalt and Queen-Consort are locked in a conversation about something or other while Lucina waits for the tactician to walk over to the three.</p><p>“Everyone’s been taken care of, equipment-wise,” Robin states, coming to a stop near the other three. Chrom nods and rubs his hand with his chin. “Only Vaike took something close to critical damage, and everyone else has been healed. Vaike’s been healed, too, and is resting, along with a large portion of the rest of the Shepherds.”</p><p>“I see. Well, they deserve the rest,” Chrom says, smiling and dropping his hand to Falchion’s pommel. His smile falters a bit. “But we still have a lot of daytime left.”</p><p>The sun shining overhead agreed with the Exalt.</p><p>“Yes, but do you really want to push them that much? Besides, we haven’t even stepped foot inside the building,” Robin says, frowning. “We’ve allotted two days to this, so it’s not like we don’t have the time.” Chrom gives a hum.</p><p>“We’re up again, are we not?” Lucina says. “I’m not a fan of wasting daylight. There is still more we can do.” Robin sighs.</p><p>“Not without seriously affecting morale. Unless…” Robin starts.</p><p>“We go in as an expedition!” Chrom says confidently. Robin groans at this but still nods.</p><p>“Hell yeah! I’ve always wanted to explore some ruins. What do you think we’ll find in there?” Sully pipes in.</p><p>“Hold on, hold on!” Robin interrupts quickly. “We won’t be taking anything. We’ll just be exploring the ruins and making a quick map. In and out. If either one of you triggers a trap, I will-”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Sully interrupts with an eye roll. “Tomorrow, we’ll take things tomorrow.” Robin huffs before nodding.</p><p>“Just us four?” Lucina asks. Robin considers it for a couple seconds. Bigger force equals more ground covered, but everyone else needs some more rest. He knows more than a couple that would volunteer when they’re in no state to. The four were more than capable of handling themselves. He nods.</p><p>“Alright. Now to tell them we’re going in,” Chrom says, unable to keep a small grin from encroaching on his face. He moves to address the Shepherds after Robin calls the group to attention.</p><p>“Shepherds! That was a well fought battle! Thank you all for your valiant efforts,” Chrom yells. The awake members of the group give him their rapt attention. “Everyone’s exhausted after the fight, so we’re going to take the rest of the day off.”</p><p>Cheers and sighs of relief resound through the open area they rest on.</p><p>“To prepare for tomorrow, Robin, Sully, Lucina, and I will be going in and mapping as much of the ruin as we can.” Frederick immediately narrows his gaze. “In the meantime, Frederick is in charge. We’ll be back soon.”</p><p>Most of the Shepherds turn back to their original conversations, now much more giddy with an entire rest of the day to rest. A couple of the Shepherds look somewhat apprehensive, but nobody even comes close to Frederick. </p><p>“My liege! What-” </p><p>“Peace, Frederick,” Chrom preempts. “I know you might have qualms, but we shouldn’t waste daylight. This will only be a small expedition at most, and we’ll be back before we get hungry. If we encounter any major trouble, Robin can send a distress spell. I trust that you can keep everyone in line?”</p><p>“Yes, milord. I can easily secure the perimeter, but that’s not what I was going to ask. How long should I wait until I send in a rescue team?” Frederick asks. Three years ago, he would be having a fit - thank Naga that he finally trusts Chrom more. Somewhat.</p><p>“A couple of hours - sundown at the earliest,” Chrom says, smiling. With the fall equinox already passed, dark was approaching much more rapidly the further into October that time ticked. In most of Ferox, it was already blizzard season, but the west enjoyed a little bit more temperate weather before being blasted with snow. Well, not that it matters too much to this perma-icy lake front.</p><p>Frederick gives an affirmative before turning around and going to talk with the rest of the Shepherds. Meanwhile, Robin and the royal family quickly get ready, checking swords, lances, and the like. The group of four are ready within a couple of minutes. They wave a “see you soon” to everyone else and start to make their way to the stairs leading to a foreboding experience.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Light from the fire spell in Robin’s hand coats the tight corridor the group of four walk through. Their breaths cloud heavily in front of their faces as they sigh at another dead end.</p><p>“Wow. Another one,” Robin mutters, frowning. </p><p>“Where the hell are all of the rooms?!” Sully yells, winding up and punching the solid wall. Unsurprisingly, it does not budge. Chrom shakes his head. </p><p>The group carefully reorder themselves to their exploring order: Sully taking point, Chrom right behind his wife, Robin third, holding the light and map tome, and Lucina bringing up the rear. Sully and Chrom are barely able to squeeze past Robin one by one, even when he lays flat against the wall. Robin thanks his stars that he’s not claustrophobic - this would be a special kind of hell if he was. They finish reorienting and start heading back through the corridor. Their steps echo loudly through the small hallway.</p><p>Eventually, the cramped hall empties into a real room, giving the four some more breathing space. Murals line the wall, depicting an ancient war - none of the four can tell the exact context. Strange glyphs border the murals, perhaps giving more meaning in a long forgotten language. </p><p>“That was all of the small hallways, right?” Lucina asks, looking around the room. A bit of light still flowed in from the stairs in the room, but most of the room’s illumination was from Robin’s flame. </p><p>“Seems so,” Chrom says, scratching his head. Robin double checked on his map tome. The ink agreed with the two cobalt-haired royals. </p><p>The room and halls combination formed a weird shape, like a gigantic sun with rays beaming out, except the rays were of variable length. Murals covered all of the walls, and every single section mural on the wall was unique. There is one more passageway left, though, a large stairway on the south wall, inky darkness coating it about four steps down. </p><p>“Alright. Time to go down some more,” Robin says, pumping a bit more mana into the flame. Reassuring nods came from the other three.</p><p>Their steps boom throughout the building as they descend more and more. Robin finds himself tightening his cloak for more warmth as the stairway drops further. Strangely, the walls are devoid of artwork, unlike the rest of underground ruin. Tension builds in Robin’s shoulders with each step. As they walk further, Lucina becomes noticeably more jumpy, looking behind herself at the slightest noise. Chrom and Sully were engaged in conversation earlier to try and keep even a little bit warmer and less deadly silent, but it has long since stopped in favor of the two trying to huddle together and walk at the same time (to mixed success).</p><p>“How long is this gods-forsaken s-stairwell?” Chrom shivers. It’s well over the two-hundred step mark at this point. Maybe three-hundred? It’s hard to keep track at this point.</p><p>“I don’t know. Do you think we’ve gone anywhere?” Robin asks back. </p><p>“Wh-what? O-of course we’ve gone somewhere,” Sully says, trying her best to force down a shiver of her own.</p><p>“Everyone! Look!” Lucina borderline yells, pointing down the stairwell. The others almost break their necks with how fast they turn back. A bit of floor was visible. Sully and Chrom race down the rest of the stairs while Lucina joins them and Robin is left in the dust before scrambling to join them on level floor once more.</p><p>The hall they step foot into is about three times as tall as Chrom, a sudden increase in the height of the ruins. On both the left and right side, it ends in two more hallways going forward, sort of encircling a large room. Each hallway has a tall door that leads into that massive central room.</p><p>Chrom and Robin step into the room first, the tactician pouring in much, much more mana into the flame, almost singing his sleeve. The light from the flame doesn’t even reach the ceiling though, and can barely illuminate the walls around them. Sully and Lucina step in afterwards. Chrom scans the room while Robin looks to the floor. Large, intricate lines cover the floor, seeming to be made of some yellowish material. Strangely, the room is also warmer than the surrounding ruins. Chrom scratches his right shoulder. </p><p>Each step feels like an explosion shaking the earth in the dead silence. Lucina rubs her left eye. The lines seem to converge to a center - a large circle containing nine smaller rings touching its inner circumference and one central ring. Robin’s right hand itches under his glove. Above the central ring, a strange, swirling, glass tube system converges. It-</p><p>
  <em> KABOOM! </em>
</p><p>Everyone jumps out of their skin. Sully and Lucina rush back to the entrance only to find it shut.</p><p>“Shit! What the hell was that?” Sully curses, glaring at one of the once open doorways. A large stone slab is where air once was. She tries to push on it, to no avail. “Urrgh! The thing’s not budging. At least tell me the other side’s open!”</p><p>Lucina confirms the worst. The slabs block the exits on either side of the room. Robin lets loose a colorful flurry of curses that even has Sully look at him in some combination of shock and awe.</p><p>“Gah!” A sudden cry from Lucina adds to the mounting chaos. A trail of tears flow from her left eye. Chrom lets out a cry of his own before slamming his hand onto his right shoulder. He slowly removes it to find his shoulder… glowing? Chrom stares in befuddlement before Robin starts to panic even more. Lucina opens her left eye slightly, and her brand is glowing as well.</p><p>“A reaction with the brands?! What the hell is happening?” the tactician yells. He summons a stationary flame and starts to run around the room looking for some kind of hint to get out. Magic that can mess with the Brand of Naga is nothing to be trifled with, doubly so if it’s causing pain. More art is all that covers the walls. No secret panels seem to be hidden in the art. The back wall’s art is interrupted by a humongous set of dark wood doors - over three times Robin’s height at the least. Repeated tugs do nothing but waste energy, sadly.</p><p>A little bit in front of the door, though, is a large chest. Robin scrambles to the chest, having to steady himself on it else he knocks himself over. His right hand is scorching under his glove. He glances at it and sees it glowing through his glove. It’s not just the Brand of Naga… Robin clears that  <em> mark </em> from his mind before he can get angry, shoving the top of the chest open. The chest is mostly empty and only contains three items: a vial full of a clear liquid, a scroll, and a fully circuited tome. </p><p>Robin’s mind is in too much of a whirlwind to think straight. He quickly pockets the vial and scroll. He picks up the tome. Hopefully, it’s a teleportation tome that can zip them out of the room. As soon as he picks up the tome, the scorching on his right hand doubles to scalding, but he doesn’t drop it. He can’t.</p><p>To test if the circuits are in working order, Robin sends a pulse of mana through the circuits. Strangely, he only feels a muted response. Robin pushes the tome open himself. Instead of being met with beautiful, recognizable arrays, glyphs coat the pages much like the sentences in a normal book. The mage part of his mind crumbles into dust as he flips through the book more and more just to be met with a sea of glyphs from top to bottom. He tries to shut the book. It stays open. </p><p>“Oh. Oh shit,” Robin mumbles. </p><p>Immediately, mana drains from Robin as the book parasitically sucks it from him. He is helpless to stop it - completely unable to shut off his mana circuits and stop casting the spell within the tome, whatever it might be. </p><p>“Robin!” Chrom seems to notice, and runs over to the white-haired mage, but it’s much too late to stop. The circuits on the book’s cover light up as magic runs through the book. Lucina and Sully run over to try and help.</p><p>“Ishvaan tau ot…” </p><p>Robin is helpless to stop the chanting of the glyphs. He can tear his eyes away from the book, but the words and syllables bubble out from his mouth as if second nature. He tries to throw the book, but the tome is as good as welded to his hand. He starts to back up while desperately shaking his left hand and attached tome, trying to get away from everyone else. The two blue-haired royals start to panickedly yell between each other while Sully tries to pry the book off his hands.</p><p>Lucina grunts as she brings down Falchion onto the tome. It bounces off harmlessly. Robin looks at her incredulously as Chrom gives her a bit of a dirty look. This seems to incense the tome as its pages seem to rapidly and randomly turn and ink itself starts to glow, too. Robin’s right hand feels nonexistent as the mark burns hotter than bubbling lava. </p><p>
  <em> Click! </em>
</p><p>Somehow cutting through the loud chaos, a soft click emanates from directly above Robin. It shuts up everyone who can shut up. Uneasy silence (except for Robin’s ever-chanting mouth) coats everything as he looks up. He’s met with the strange glass contraption he spotted earlier.</p><p>“Wh-whoa!” Chrom is dragged to one of the inner rings by some magic force. Lucina is dragged to one adjacent right after, and Sully is as well.</p><p>“Ngh! Damnit!” Lucina spits, struggling against the magic. “Robin, what the hell are you doing?!”</p><p>The book’s circuits start to shine brighter than a bonfire and Robin’s already way-past-overstrained mana circuits are starting to be drained for what they’re really worth. His voice sharply increases in volume, still unable to stop the chanting he damned himself to by opening the tome. The yellow lines on the floor light up, glowing like a surprising amount of things in the room.</p><p>“Gods!” Chrom grunts. “Robin! Please!”</p><p>There’s nothing that can be done, though. Robin is quickly crumbling, the pain from his right hand and having mana forcefully sucked through his body is more than anyone could handle. Robin shakes his head to the best of his ability before looking up once more.</p><p>The once empty contraption is now full of an ethereal white liquid. It flows down towards Robin. </p><p>“... chaloha ei aht!”</p><p>The incantation reaches its end and Robin is left panting. Sudden silence suffocates the group. Robin barely manages to stay standing. None of the royal family dares to make a move.</p><p>And then a drop of the white liquid falls onto Robin’s forehead.</p><p>The yellow lines on the floor join the glow-club and emit a blinding amount of light. No one has the strength or time to scream. The lines themselves start to spin like a gigantic projected array, shining brighter and brighter by the second. A deafening crack, much like the shattering of glass, rings through the room. </p><p>The room is pitch black, silent, and void of inhabitants once again. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Mystical</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Robin feels himself tumbling. He opens his eyes to blankness. The little color he can see comes from his coat, flapping around him as he drops further and further. His arms reflexively wrap around himself, but it does nothing to stop the wind rushing past his ears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instantly, the sky flips to a pitch black. Instead of fear, a strange sense of calm fills him. He lets go of himself and tries to look around more, his body used to the feeling and sound of the wind rushing past his face. Even though he can’t see a light source, he’s perfectly illuminated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the sky lightens to a dark grey and Robin is surrounded by a strange mist. Fear drips into his bones and freezes them in place. He’s helpless as the mist seems to seep into his body, bringing with it excruciating pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh gods! I know I’m not devout, but please, save us!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The world bursts into color, a multitude of greens now populating his vision. The tops of towering trees cover his vision. The slight breeze and rustle of leaves drown his senses. A blanket of shade from the shadows of the treetops covers him as he lays upon a cushy bed of grass. It is peaceful for one second more. It’s almost perfect. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it’s not right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin shakes himself out of the daze he landed in and lets out a quiet groan at the deep ache within his bones. Pushing past it, he picks himself up and takes a look around. Another gentle wind flows through the forest, ruffling his short hair. He glances down and sees a familiar mop of blue hair. Sprawled out on the forest floor, the other three who were caught up in the giant sigil are here too. That must have been one hell of a warp spell for them to be knocked out, too. Chrom looks like he’s peacefully sleeping the day away, but-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Footsteps from near him stop Robin’s thoughts in their tracks. He drops low and tries to find somewhere to hide. Where, where to-? Ah! He’s able to sneak behind a large shrub before the mystery group gets too close. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do not think it wise to check on such a sound,” a snooty voice says. A group of three comes into view. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, Jakob, but it was just so… strange,” a concerned voice replies. That voice comes from a white-haired woman with very intricate plate armor and... pointy ears?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think that is all the reason more to avoid it all together, milady,” that snooty voice, quickly getting on Robin’s nerves, says. The voice, apparently belonging to someone named Jakob, comes from a tall, ornately dressed butler. The group is rounded out by a quiet, sky-blue-haired woman dressed in a flowing dress. Robin starts to shuffle as quietly as possible to a couple of bushes behind the strangers. The group hasn’t seemed to notice the others-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh gods! What happened?” the white-haired woman cries. She runs over to the collapsed members of his team. Robin curses internally. While they don’t seem malicious, he’s in the middle of an unknown forest and isn’t planning on taking any chances. A plan quickly formulates in his mind. It may or may not include taking the blue-haired woman as a hostage, but 1 on 3 does not facilitate honorable tactics. Robin reaches into his coat, pulling out a yellow tome. He starts to pour magic in, building up lightning for a diversion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Debilitating pain shoots through his arms. Mana exhaustion. Well, no shit, that tome was sucking mana out of him like an air-starved swimmer on shore! Today couldn’t go any better for Robin, could it? He tries his best to keep quiet, but a small grunt is able to leak out of his mouth. Instantly, a knife finds its way into the bush and his left arm. Robin falls forward, grabbing his arm and tumbling through the bushes. He lands on the knife, sending a jolt of pain through his left half and digging the thing in further. Robin rolls onto his back only to be met with another knife pointed at his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jakob, wha-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cur! You were trying to backstab us using these corpses as bait!” the now aggressive butler spits. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Urgh, they’re n- agh!” Robin tries to say before being silenced with a poke to the chin with a knife. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut your mouth, trash! You do not speak unless told to,” Jakob says, pressing the point of the dagger to Robin’s chin. The butler orders him to stand up. It’s a pitiful display, trying to get up with a dagger still in his arm as well as one at his throat. The fact that the blood from the wound that is streaming onto the ground and making it slick doesn’t help. The white-haired woman starts to go over, presumably to help, but the butler raises his arm and stops her. Finally, after many trials and tribulations, Robin is able to stand up. “Now, who are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ergh, if you took that knife away from my-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Answer the question, miscreant,” the cruel man spits.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jakob!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine, fine! Do you want the full biography treatment or-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You must be very stupid to try and joke right now. Let me put it in a way you will understand: who the hell are you?” The question is accentuated with a small press from the dagger. The scowl on the man’s face couldn’t get any deeper if it tried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gods, that makes this whole prisoner thing less enjoyable. Okay, shutting up now. Name’s Robin,” he says, smiling as best he can under the circumstances. He knows he’s gotta buy time, and hopefully he can really wring this interrogation out long enough for an opening. Well, long enough for Chrom to wake up and help him out of this. “Pleased to make your acquaintance- ow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jakob, for the sake of the Dusk Dragon, calm down!” the white-haired woman shouts, stomping her left foot. The butler flinches ever so slightly, but not enough to even peek at a window for escape. He dares to turn his head, addressing his “liege.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lady Corrin, I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jakob, I know you’re stressed out right now, but that’s no excuse for being so cruel to someone, especially someone who is absolutely not posing a threat,” she says. The woman, pretty obviously a noble, has a scowl to match her butler’s, though hers isn’t disgustingly horrific like his was a second ago. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Step away from my friend. Now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom, very much awake now, has Falchion pointed at the butler’s neck in a way that gives Robin a large sense of gratification. The two at the wrong end of the sword jump at the new arrival, the noble more so than the servant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Treating him like that does not give you much goodwill in my eyes,” Chrom adds, eyes narrowing. The butler merely scoffs before retracting his arm and stepping away a little bit. The two Ylisseans take that time to back up as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s gonna try and start something, he’s too prideful,” Robin utters under his breath. Chrom subtly nods. “I haven’t got a clue where we are, and I bet they have some answers. Non-lethal takedowns. Keep at least one awake, preferably the white-haired girl. She seems like the bleeding-heart type.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” the cobalt-haired man affirms. As if on cue, the butler throws a knife at Chrom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately for the butler, he seems to have underestimated how quick Chrom is. The Great Lord easily parries the dagger while rushing forward and closing the small distance. Jakob is caught by surprise and can’t throw another knife at the approaching man before he reaches the poor butler. To the surprise of everyone minus Chrom, the swordsman grabs the ruffled shirt of the other man and brusquely shoves him forward without letting go. The other man quickly loses balance before Chrom rapidly pulls him back and headbutts him in the nose. The butler crumples like a pile of bricks, and Robin can just sense how proud of himself Chrom is. He tosses the limp body over his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s given no time to breathe as the armored woman charges him with an oddly ornate sword and a cry. Not to call the Falchion plain, but this thing was on a whole other level of royal. Like gold everything kinda royal. Regardless of its design, it’s currently being swung at high velocity towards Robin’s friend. Chrom reacts fast enough, though, and is able to parry. The two fall into a rhythm of crashes and clangs, and Robin decides it’s time to treat the wound. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin checks around his person for the concoction and vulnerary he keeps on his person at all times. Seeing that they’re both still there, Robin resigns himself to his next actions. He grabs the hilt of the knife, the stinging pain having ebbed to a sharp ache a little bit ago, and takes it out as carefully as possible. The feeling forces Robin to grit his teeth and almost grind them into dust, but at least the knife is no longer in him. Blood flows from the wound a little bit faster. Robin takes out his vulnerary, uncorking the flask and pouring some on the wound before turning the bitter drink to his mouth. His arm tingles as it patches itself up and he lets out a contented sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A strange roar catches the tactician’s attention. The vulnerary flask is capped off and briskly shoved into his pocket. He whips his head towards the sound - back towards the sword fight. And, holy shit, what did he miss? One of the girl’s arms turns into a pointy lance thing, now pinning Chrom’s cape to the forest floor. Chrom looks just as shocked as Robin feels. How the hell?! She presses her advantage and vaults forward using the lance-arm thing. Chrom tries to dodge, but that godsdamn cape really isn’t doing him any favors. It’s too late when the shapeshifting woman slams her boots - no, bare feet - into his chestplate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom and the woman tumble for a small distance, Chrom finding his footing and skidding to a stop while she rolls and quickly bolts up. The two go back at it, but Chrom seems to have shaken off any side effects from the warp spell and begins to fight in earnest. The weird woman is no match for Chrom’s full strength, obviously put on the defensive after her inhuman trick. He disarms her, the strange golden sword whizzing away before Chrom slams the flat of Falchion into her stomach. Not ideal, but it’s probably the best takedown he can do at the moment. Robin just prays that Chrom didn’t cave in the plate armor and make it hard for her to breathe - that would defeat the entire purpose of keeping them alive to talk. She’s flung into a nearby tree very, very hard, clearly winding her as she gasps on the way down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t try anything,” a female voice says from his left. Lucina joined the fray sometime in the middle of that fight and currently has her Falchion pointed at the woman with the absurdly long sky-blue hair just in case she tried something. Not that she could try anything to begin with. What, was she going to stare Chrom to death? Regardless, the woman has her hands up in a clear show of surrender. Lucina corrals her towards the defeated shapeshifting woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Speaking of her, she seemed to have finally caught some of her breath. She looks up at Chrom with an honestly pitiable expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-so, this… </span>
  <em>
    <span>huff</span>
  </em>
  <span>, is where it ends. G-gods, I-I just-” she borderline whispers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t get your smallclothes in a twist,” Robin interrupts, walking over to the tree she’s slumped against. She looks at him and gasps. And gasps again, trying to catch her breath. “We just want to talk, alright? First things first, though - what’s your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Uh, it’s Corrin,” she quietly forces out, letting out raspy coughing afterwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Corrin! My name is Robin. I wasn’t lying when I gave you my name. Right here is my friend Chrom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Robin, what are you-” Chrom whispers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go along with it. She’ll be caught off guard.” Robin whispers to Chrom. All Robin earns is a shrug and a roll of the eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah. Uh, Robin is right. My name is Chrom. That was an impressive display of swordsmanship,” Chrom says, trying to force some appreciation into his voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you. I-” More coughs interrupt her, “I learned from my big brother. B-but why? I don’t understand...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neither does Robin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Corrin, look - you don’t mind if I use just Corrin, right? Good - look. We’re not looking to kill anyone. We’re just a little confused. We’re (probably) a long way from home, and we have no idea where we are. Can you tell us?” Robin asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, we’re still in Hoshidian territory, I-” She’s interrupted by Falchion suddenly inching closer to her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How dumb do you think we are? Lifting something from a legend and expecting us not to notice is an insult,” Chrom growls. She just looks back in genuine confusion and a small bit of terror. Oh boy, what a situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse us for a second,” Robin says quickly, pulling Chrom away. Lucina wordlessly takes his spot, corralling the blue-haired woman closer to her sitting comrade. “What did you just say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you- Robin, please tell me that you know of the legends of Hoshido and Nohr,” Chrom borderline begs. Robin’s unchanging face is his only answer. “No, of course not. Okay. Hmm, I know Sully loved them…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them go to shake Sully awake. Robin, however, doesn’t know the golden rule of waking Sully up: don’t. Or at least, don’t stand near her before she gets her bearings. Chrom “forgets” to mention this to Robin, so Robin only looks on in confusion when the other man jumps away. Robin figures out the rule for himself when Sully’s fist barrels into his solar plexus. He lets out a silent scream of pain, gasping for air as he crumples over. A strong guffaw emanates from Chrom, the bastard, while Sully starts collecting her senses. As soon as she sees Robin on the floor collapsed in pain, she joins her husband in a round of laughs. Robin quickly curses the both of them in his head, too winded to do it aloud, but makes sure to send some very pointed looks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here - haha, let me help you up-pfft,” Chrom tries to say, barely restraining his giggles.  He reaches down to Robin who flips him off before deciding to grab his hand. Once again standing, Robin quickly hunches over and tries to catch his breath while the husband-wife duo calm down and start to explain the legends. “Okay, okay, I’m done. Alright. Sully, you were still knocked out when she said this, but, if we’re to take that woman’s word, we’ve been warped to Hoshido.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re pullin’ my leg,” she laughs, shaking her head. Chrom just shakes his head. “Really? Well, no shit, huh? Then she’s a gods awful liar!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… huff, don’t think she’s - pwah - lying,” Robin forces out. “Though I… I don’t know of the legends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know of the legends of Hoshido and Nohr?!” Sully asks, as if he just committed some great sacrilege. “Damn amnesiac. Well, you want me to tell ‘im, Chrom?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I never quite had the fervor you did when listening or reading about them,” Chrom says, a lightly teasing smile finding its way onto his smug mug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn straight! First stories lil’ Luci and Kjelle heard were the legends of Hoshido and Nohr,” she boasts. “Hoshido and Nohr are two kingdoms who’ve been pissed at each other since time began. Nohr’s a kingdom of little, ‘cuz their soil’s shit and can’t grow crops, while Hoshido’s a kingdom of plenty, with crops blessed by the Dawn Dragon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nohr worships the Dusk Dragon while Hoshido worships the Dawn Dragon,” Chrom supplies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was gettin’ to that! Sheesh. Anyways, they worship different gods, which is probably just another excuse for war. They really hate each other. Nohr’s more often the aggressor, ‘cuz their people are dying without food, but Hoshido’s too prideful to trade or some bullshit like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm… That seems a little simplistic. Why do you love it so much?” Robin says, fully straightening up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not simplis- whatever. The battles! The stories of honor and cunning and bravery from both sides! It-! Some stories helped inspire me to be the best damn knight on the continent. Aw, talking about it makes me so damn nostalgic,” the redhead gushes as she sheepishly rubs the back of her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do the legends not mention certain things? Say, current ruling families?” Robin says, rubbing his chin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not to my knowledge,” Chrom says. Sully backs him up as resident bedtime story expert.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. She seems to be at least a lord, so she probably knows about at least one country’s ruling family,” Robin says, nodding. He walks over to the tree where Corrin is at swordpoint. She has settled into pulling her knees against her chest and hugging her legs in a kind of fetal position. The frown on her face screams brooding. She glances up at Robin as he comes over. “Sorry about that. If what you say is true, then we’re very,  </span>
  <em>
    <span>very  </span>
  </em>
  <span>far from home right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She merely nods in response. She seems to be battling something in her thoughts and sorely losing, if the frown on her face is any indication. Or maybe it’s because of the fact she’s being held hostage. What a mess. Chrom has started to fully disarm the butler, still out cold on the floor, while Sully has come to stand next to her daughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I see. Well, is there any way to prove the truth of my words?” Corrin quietly asks, moving to sit cross legged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Like Chrom said earlier, the land you say we’re in, Nohr and Hoshido, is a place only from legends where we come from. But none of the legends mention the ruling families of either Nohr or Hoshido,” Robin says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, the ruling families?” Corrin says, perking up for some odd reason. Maybe she’s a fanatic or something and found some ancient names. “Nohr has two princes and two princesses. Elise is the youngest, and is the best younger sister anyone could ask for!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hang on. Younger sister? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leo is the second youngest, and super smart. He can be cold at first, but he’s super caring underneath it all. Camilla is the second oldest. She’s very doting, but it can be stifling at times. Xander is… he’s the oldest. He seems really cold at first, but he’s really cool and strong. He’s the one who taught me how to fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’ve gotta be kidding me. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin couldn’t believe his misfortune. They just seriously assaulted a foriegn princess?! Robin’s mortal shock shows on his face as Chrom tries to shake him out of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gods, do you know what this means, Chrom?” Robin whispers in panic. “Our heads are on a plate! On the block! First steps into a foreign-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Robin! Calm down,” Chrom whispers back. “This could be an elaborate ruse. Though the names are odd, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibilities to say she came up with a set of them beforehand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That seems like a lot of preparation for someone who doesn’t seem to have a clue how valuable or strong we are! Plus, look at her. Do you think some random theif - some conwoman could afford platemail like that?! And, that’s not even - wait a minute, you’re being oddly distrusting right now. Well, I guess normally distrusting someone at your station should be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t particularly trust or like people who stick a knife to my friend’s throat,” Chrom growls, fists clenched. Robin nods before diving headfirst into a bunch of panicked thoughts. He’s able to climb out fast enough to turn around and ask the apparent princess another question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about Hoshido’s royal family?” Robin asks. Perhaps he can use this supposed enemy princess as a hostage, get rewards and fame or whatever, and then use that to find a way to get home. If she really is a Nohrian princess, and this is Hoshido, then she’s in the middle of enemy territory. He can’t shake a deep sense of apprehension, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Corrin says, noticeably subdued. That’s odd. Are her eyes watery? “They have two princes and two princesses, too. Sakura is the youngest. She’s soft-spoken, but so, so very kind. Takumi is the second youngest. He’s- well, he’s a bit of a hothead and a bit cold, but I know there’s more to him than just that. Hinoka’s the second oldest. She’s really brave and spent years looking for me. She’s an amazing big sister. A-and this… this is how I repay her… </span>
  <em>
    <span>sniff</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. Oh no. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“E-excuse me. Ryoma’s the oldest. He’s the strongest. Formidable. Kingly. But so caring. I-I don’t… I don’t kn-know if they could ever forgive me for what happened. In that damned square. I… I don’t know if they can forgive me for today, ei-either. I-” At this, the woman bursts into sobs. A larger sense of dread overtakes Robin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh… Oh Gods. Oh no, no, no, noooooo…” Robin utters, frozen in shock. Corrin tries to compose herself but fails. The woman with the long robes runs over to comfort her companion. Nobody moves to stop her. Fiery shame licks at his cheeks as sobs barrage his ears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good going,” Sully quips, elbowing him on his left arm, right where the knife wound is trying its best to heal. Robin recoils in pain before moving to rip his hair out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This has to be the certifiably worst hour of Robin’s life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep it together, Robin,” Chrom whispers, moving to softly pat his back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay. This is an awful hand of cards being dealt to him. It’s actually funny in some horrible, twisted way. Somehow. Robin’s mind goes immediately to ways to plan around the headache fortunate enough to be called their current situation. Two ways they could go: kill the hostages or let them go. Both are about the worst things to do - kill them and if anyone ever finds out, you’re worse than dead, let them go and you’re signing your warrant for assaulting a royal. Neither leads to better chances of getting out of this strange land. Keeping them as prisoners isn’t even up for debate. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. The execution thing, while gruesome, could be covered up given enough planning. But it’s definitely not in Robin’s heart to order the execution of a woman sobbing about her family. Er, families. He may be a tactician, who needs to be detached at certain times, but he’s not heartless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Memories of the Plegian desert and the previous exalt flash through his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin snaps out of his thoughts and stares at the sky-blue haired woman. Corrin has calmed down from excessive crying and only lets out a quiet sob every once and a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” the genius tactician says, dumbly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a proposition. My name is Azura, and I am a princess as well. We are… neither of us are going to be welcomed back into Nohr or Hoshido as royalty again any time soon, but we are still valued by the families,” she says, sitting down by folding her legs underneath her. A somewhat pained look had crossed both captives’ faces at the last sentence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you were to execute us, it would be certain death to step foot anywhere on this continent. Instead, it would be better if you were to join us. Just the single swordsman fighting - Chrom, was it? - was enough to defeat us. We are not experienced in the arts of war, and, just by looking at the way you hold yourselves, it is easy to see you are all seasoned. If you team up with us, you will have our unequivocal support in finding a way for you to return to your home, wherever it may be, once our mission is done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom seems to be mulling the information over while Sully and Lucina whisper amongst themselves. Robin’s gears start to whirr in his head. Some flattery, check. Acute sensation of the situation, check. Biggest pro of the proposed plan, check. Azura is definitely someone who knows how to persuade, at least somewhat. Thankfully, much more tasteful than the bumbling idiot politicians who use too much saccharine flattery. Obviously, she’s trying to persuade them not to outright kill the three, but also trying to convince them to join forces?</span>
</p><p>
  <span> There’s still so much to digest, to learn, and not much time for either. Three big questions, now - one, why wouldn’t they be welcomed back by the families? Probably a touchy subject, based on Corrin’s earlier reaction to the whole ruling families question. Two, who would lead? Three, who the hell are they going to fight against, both armies? On second thought, one and three might be related questions. Other questions spring to mind, but he forces them down for later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom walks over to Robin and starts whispering his own concerns, which fall in line with the tactician’s, unsurprisingly. Robin then nods and turns to address Azura.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you can tell, we might really not have much choice. Buuut, I have a couple of questions to ask before we say anything for certain. Who will be the leader of the group?” Robin asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Corrin will. She is in a unique position as a shared sibling between the two families, for reasons we can’t quite explain in a short amount of time. It might be better to straighten out the details when we can rest without risk of others happening upon us,” she responds, oddly serene. Corrin has no real reaction from behind Azura, off in her own mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I guess. And the two other questions I have would be more personal than that, based on the way your friend? Sister? Fellow royal? Based on how she responded earlier. Okay, let me deliberate with my friends on what to do from here,” Robin says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The four Ylisseans quickly form a small circle a couple paces away. Chrom expresses his insecurities about the plan, and Sully agrees with him. Robin explains his view, and says the four are kind of forced to agree with the plan. There’s no hope of leaving when you don’t know where you are in the first place. And with that warp spell, whatever it did, it must’ve flung them pretty far. Getting back probably requires some resources they very much do not have.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to do it,” Lucina says, suddenly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s about the conclusion I’ve come to, too. Do you have any swaying words for us, Lucina?” Robin asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“O-oh! I- right. Valm is still our biggest threat right now. When we get out of this realm, we’ll need to be able to still fight, and it would be invaluable to secure more allies,” the princess responds, more assurance bubbling up as her sentence goes on. Robin nods. Unexpectedly good planning ahead. Perhaps not the most unexpected coming from Miss Future. The group disbands and Robin moves towards the two still technically captured princesses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll take your offer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Azura smiles at his words and nods. Corrin perks up behind her. The two pick themselves up from the forest floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. I think it’s time for more proper introductions…”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robin stares into the campfire, lazily turning over smoldering coals with a stick. Not that the fire is in any danger of burning out, they have more than enough firewood to last the entire night if needed, but it gives him something idle to do while he thinks. Lucina polishes Falchion in the firelight as the two foriegn princesses talk between themselves. The tactician is as well as dead to the world as his thoughts wholly consume him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What a fever dream. It’s hard to think that he woke up at an inn this morning. He would be inclined to believe he was still dreaming, but the mana exhaustion and that knife would’ve absolutely made him bolt awake. He subconsciously rubs the healing wound on his left arm. He sees Corrin wince at something in the edge of his vision but purges it from his thoughts soon after. Besides, there’s no way something this absolutely bizarre could ever be dreamt up. Sure, Robin’s had some out-there dreams and nightmares, but this is so indescribably, specifically bizarre, with names, places, and ideas he’s for sure never heard about before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lets out a heavy sigh and throws the stick into the fire, done with his absent-minded poking. What to do from here? Obviously, stay with the three he came here with, but anything further than that is about as clear as mud. Can he trust these two foriegn princesses and their overzealous butler? They won’t ask them to jump off a cliff or something, will they? That had to be crossing some line. Would they have any choice, though? Stranded in the middle of a foriegn land…  Robin shakes himself out of his thoughts and immediately goes back to thinking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If the group was going to have any chance of survival past walking around together (and even that was dicey on the way to the camp), Robin needs to know what everyone does. Trust needs to be built too, but that’s nigh impossible right now. Hopefully, battle will help straighten everyone out, but if even the fires of battle can’t forge any bonds of trust, then they’re as good as dead. Robin puts that concern in the back of his mind (joining most of his thoughts since they went into that stupid temple) and prioritizes knowing what the hell the new additions do. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to do his normal interview, but it’ll have to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Robin starts. He grabs the foriegn princesses’ attention immediately while Lucina keeps on polishing Falchion. “About those questions I had earlier…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I believe now would be a good time for some,” Azura says, looking to Corrin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Yes, absolutely,” Corrin says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you don’t mind if we ask some of our own, do you, Robin?” Azura asks, turning her gaze back to Robin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t mind letting me ask my questions first,” he replies. Azura and Corrin whisper between themselves a little bit before nodding. “Alright. First question: combat capabilities. What do each of you do, and how experienced are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The night crawls on as more specific questions are asked and responses are given. Their combat capabilities are varied: Corrin is a strong physical attacker, is trained in how to use a lot of weapons, but heavily prefers swords and can also transform into a dragon (another manakete, maybe?); Azura is weak, but has improved her strength exponentially in the time she has been fighting, can use a naginata (Hoshidian spear that can slice, too), and can also sing and reinvigorate people; Jakob is a ranged physical attacker, using daggers to throw, as well as staves to heal. Well, there’s definitely a lot to work with. Four strong physical close-range attackers, two ranged attackers, and a rejuvenator… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That definitely gives Robin something to work with, tactics wise. Thank the gods for a healer - some wounds are too much for even an elixir. Any small force they face, they’ll be on equal ground. Medium sized forces - well, best not to think about it right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, the three are very inexperienced, with Corrin seeing the most battles at five. In due time, it’ll be uncountable, especially with war against two much bigger enemies on the horizon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh yeah, Corrin is being targeted by both major nations, fun fact. Robin didn’t gain any more details on the why of it all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two ask the same question in response. Robin’s answers are a little vaguer, especially when it comes to experience. Corrin pretty visibly perks up when he says he is the strategist - er, grandmaster (even with two years of that title, it never seems to stick in his mind) of the Shepherds. Lucina pipes in a little bit about both Chrom and Sully’s fighting styles, having trained with them countless times, even though she really only joined the Shepherds about a week prior. She had also almost said “Father” but Robin caught her, gave her a kick as a reminder, and she was able to correct herself with a cough. Internally sweating, Robin decides to take control of the conversation again and ask his second question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that’s our capabilities. Alright, wh…” Robin stops himself. Corrin crying earlier flashes through his mind for a second. Asking “why exactly are we fighting both sides of your family” is a stupid idea when wounds are clearly still very raw. No way in hell was Robin risking that again, especially with the overprotective butler nearby and awake (no way he wasn’t eavesdropping) lest he wants a knife through the jugular. He also was not a fan of making people cry or angry, especially when they have very big swords. Strange, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Robin?” Corrin asks, tilting her head slightly. “Did you say something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“O-oh! Sorry about that,” Robin says, scratching the back of his head. “I have a bad habit of trailing off sometimes.” The last sentence was accentuated with a couple of chuckles from Lucina. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Were you going to ask a question?” Corrin asks. Great job, Robin. First, awful first impressions, and now looking like a thoughtless jerk. He takes a quarter of a second to come up with a new question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, oh yeah! Where are we going tomorrow?” he asks quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Azura answers. “The Bottomless Canyon. There-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s immediately interrupted by Chrom and Sully loudly bringing back an entire wild boar. Lucina gets up to help gut the monster. Jakob comes back with a plethora of herbs and wild teas (apparently) and starts to fuss over Corrin about something or other. Azura doesn’t seem too inclined to continue with her response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the night is consumed by cooking the boar, eating it, and promptly falling asleep, Robin’s question all but forgotten.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robin turns over for the twentieth time in the past hour. Twenty-first. Twenty-second. He quietly sighs, not wanting to disturb the others trying to sleep. He’s sleepy and by all means should be much less awake than this, but his mind is still spinning. He tosses again, and, surprisingly, it still does nothing to calm him. His eyes shoot open and look at the dark forest canopy above him. He sits up. He may as well go somewhere else to do something and not bother the others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin quietly stands, carefully traipsing around the sleeping bodies to get out of camp. Azura rolls over when he steps near. Robin freezes, thinking that he woke her up, but she just rolls over again, very much asleep. He lets out an internal sigh of relief and walks to the edge of camp without any more close calls. Corrin is out, peacefully laying next to Azura, while Jakob has absolutely woken up and is going to follow Robin to wherever he’s gonna go. A pang of nostalgia for his first few nights with Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick echo through his chest. Chrom and Sully are both absolutely comatose, the couple letting out some quiet snores from each side. Lucina is up and about, but it’d probably be more concerning if she was asleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grass softly crunches under his boots as he walks away from the camp. The moonlight is enough for Robin to stumble his way far enough to get to the edge of the forest. He spots a figure sitting against a tree nearby. Looks like someone’s found the princess. He starts to head over to her. She spots him and nods at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good evening, Lucina,” Robin greets in a hushed manner as to not accidentally wake anyone else up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Unc- er, Robin,” she responds, looking up at him. He takes a seat near the future princess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Lucina,” Robin smiles at the princess. She seems to seize up before softening and letting out a sigh. “Well, as long as I can call you Lil’ Luci.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-what? N-no!” she whisper-yells, face flushing in embarrassment. Robin chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I tease, Lucina,” he says, still lightly laughing at the uptight girl’s reaction. “So… how are the stars tonight?” Robin turns his head up to the stars. They twinkle softly on an obsidian canvas, not a cloud in the sky to obstruct the view. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucina is quiet for a second, giving another gaze to the stars. “They’re gorgeous,” she says softly. She doesn’t use the most poetic language, but she doesn’t need to. A lithe smile is illuminated by the moonlight shining on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They really are, aren’t they?” Robin adds. A tiny breeze carries a comfortable silence through the surrounding field and forest as the two stargaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, um, Uncle Robin, do you mind…” she trails off, losing energy towards the end. “Nevermind.” Robin could guess what she wants, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to listen to the Feroxian myth about the stars?” he asks. Her silence is enough to tell Robin to go ahead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A rustling of leaves shatters that silence. Lucina is on her feet and has Falchion out in milliseconds while Robin is unphased. Robin tries to calm Lucina down, assuring her that it was just a small animal by the sound of it, which works well enough for her to slump back against the tree. It seems like Falchion will hear the story as well, though, unsheathed and ready for any threats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. The crunch of snow…”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The crunch of snow was the only thing to interrupt the deafening silence that coated the snow-laden pine forest. Snow lazily drifted down from the clouds. Icara walked through the trees, snowflakes dotting her dark hair. It was calm, and she was too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The clouds above were light, the blizzards that had plagued the winter earlier already calmed by her efforts. She gave a light smile, radiating the comfort of a blanket of snow to any animal nearby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For fourteen nights, it snowed like this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For fourteen nights, Icara was content.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fifteenth night came, and the snow had stopped falling. It was deafeningly silent as the entire forest seemed to stay still. Icara frowned at this extreme stillness. She strolled through the seemingly petrified forest. She looked up, towards the now cloudless sky, and was greeted by nothing. No snowfall to grace her sight, only an inky darkness. Her frown only grew deeper at this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wanders through the forest again. Her dress, weaved of snow she had collected herself, drags behind her and leaves a trail in the snow. Before long, she happens across a clearing. The clearing, complete with a small hole in the canopy, seemed to be shining. Directly under the hole, a pile of snow laid. It wasn’t a normal white, like the stuff that coated the treetops, no, it was blue. Wait, no!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Icara couldn’t believe her eyes. The snow was twinkling, changing from blue to white and back again, on its own! Her heart swelled in excitement as she rushed over to the pile of snow. She sat down and scooped up some of it in her hands. The snow twinkled softly against her hands. A smile blossomed on her face as she stared at it more and more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was destined for much greater things than to just be held, though. She tilted her hands and head up, and blew. The twinkling snow flew through the hole in the canopy and into the void-like night sky. She did it over and over again, until the pile of sparkling snow was no more. She smiled and looked up to the sky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The snowflakes had now cemented themselves in the sky, filling the once empty void. They were chaotic, not shaped into the ordered constellations we see nowadays, but there was a beauty found in the chaos, the sky-snow twinkling at random intervals. Perhaps one day, Icara would rearrange it, but the soft light from the heavens gave her enough wonder to content her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so, Icara laid down on a bed of snow, smiling and gazing towards the now full night sky.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>A soft snore emanates from the tree. Robin glances over and sees Lucina with her head tilted against her shoulder and eyes closed, Falchion still out of its sheath. She seems to almost cuddle the silver and gold relic. He’s powerless to stop a smile from growing on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can come out now,” he nonchalantly says, turning his head to where the rustling came from. Nothing happens for a second. Then more rustling, and the soft sound of footsteps, and finally…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corrin walks out of the shadows, face red enough to see in the moonlight. She still has her armor on. How she ever finds that comfortable is beyond Robin, but it looks like it protects her well enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I, uhm…” she stutters, ashamed at her own spying or getting caught.  “I’m so, so sorry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin quickly shushes her, pointing to the sleeping Lucina. Normally a light sleeper, she seems to be out for good. A good bedtime story puts baby Lucina to sleep without fail, and it seems like it works for her future self, too. Can’t ever be too careful, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corrin freezes before facepalming and going even more red. Robin motions for her to sit by him. She walks a small walk of shame, plopping down where he patted on the grass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so, so sorry. I-it’s just- I-” Corrin began, quiet but still speaking at a million miles per hour. Robin can’t stop a small chuckle. She continues, oblivious to his chuckling. “And I followed you here. If you can’t work with us because of it, I-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Corrin, Corrin!” he interjects, suppressing his chuckles for a minute. “It’s alright. I don’t blame you, actually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My- Oh! You don’t?” she murmurs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” he says, popping the puh sound. Realistically, he should be the one under scrutiny for sneaking off… Especially being brand new to the group. She seems to be one trusting woman. What a crazy parallel - waking up in a new world to an over trusting lord. Another pang of nostalgia wracks his heart. Corrin lets out an “ah” and an awkward silence settles over the two. Corrin twiddles her thumbs while looking around the moonlit plains. Lucina lets out a soft snore every once in a while. Robin decides to at least say something. “So, did you like the story?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I did,” she says. “I’ve never heard a myth quite like that one. Ferox… is that where you’re from?” Robin shakes his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I am not Feroxi. My group and I hail from a place called Ylisse, to the south of Regna Ferox,” he responds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ylisse… It has a very pretty sounding name,” she ruminates. “I haven’t heard of it before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And yet we’ve heard of your lands through myths and legends,” Robin hums. The woman sitting near him seems almost guilty at not knowing anything about Robin’s home. “But I know next to nothing.” Corrin seems to almost jump up in excitement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can tell you about it, then!” she says, giddy. Robin has to remind her of their sleeping friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrinks a little before diving into an explanation of Nohr, where she grew up. She says a lot is second hand knowledge, having a sheltered life thanks to their king, Garon. It can honestly fool Robin, though, as she talks about places she’s never been with the conviction of a merchant who has been through a thousand times. Dark forests, barren lands, small hamlets, mountain ranges, and great forts all call Nohr home. She talks about many of them, whether she read about them or had passed through them while traveling. The moon inches through the sky all the while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A large yawn halts Corrin’s detailing of a pretty border town. She tries her best to hide it, but it manages to escape all the same. Robin lets out a yawn of his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I think that could be as good a sign as any,” Robin says, standing up and stretching. Corrin follows suit, giving a stretch of her own. “Thank you for telling me about Nohr, though. It sounds interesting.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d love to take everybody in person,” she says. She deflates somewhat, afterwards. “I didn’t even get to tell you about Hoshido.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would definitely be something everyone would like to hear.” Robin walks over to Lucina, still dozing away. Strangely though, her mouth was upturned into a smile. Maybe, the princess has been blessed with a happy dream. Gods know she needs one. “Alright, let’s head back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corrin nods as Robin scoops up Lucina. Soon enough, the two leave the clearing and head back toward their camp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence blankets the plains and forest once more.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for all of the kudos so far! Hopefully, this wasn't too out of left field. </p><p>Any feedback at all is very welcome, and kudos are very appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First fanfic. Any feedback is much appreciated. </p><p>Tags will be added as characters are introduced, ships form, and things to tag happen.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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